Kten’s

Aah. Am I refreshed or what. You would be too, if you went where I did this time, and ate what I ate, and saw what I saw. All in our very own backyard. Well not backyard exactly, but very much in Maharashtra.

Taking advantage of the long weekend, my wife and I decided to go on a road trip. No fixed plans of arriving, and certainly no plans of where we wanted to stay. Only the direction and a solid intent.

So off, we pushed towards Ganpatipule. The original plan included Goa, but thank fully we decided against it. The drive to Ganpatipule has to be seen to be believed. I tried capturing whatever I could, but the pictures do not do justice to the original setting. It was so green everywhere, and beautiful, that for those three days or so, we did not have to make any effort to relax. We were in nature’s lap, and she was taking care of us. We left from Bombay at around 10 in the morning. We took the Bombay-Panvel-Pen-Mahad-Khed-Chiplin-Ganpatipule route. And it took us about 10 hours of fun driving. With the usual stops for chai and pictures and other things important, and sometimes, not so important.

Fresh Green!

Incredible India. On the way to GPule

Perfect Setting

We reached Gpule at 8 in the evening, and we needed some place to stay. We checked out a couple of hotel ‘resorts’ and finally settled in the Abhishek Beach Resort. We got a room with an excellent view, and service which was really nice. For 2200 bucks a night, we wouldn’t call it a steal exactly, but it was definitely worth it. The first night was uneventful, with us being tired, so we decided to have food in the hotel. We had some really well made Malwani food. Spicy, but very very good!

Next morning, we left for the Gpule Temple. This Ganpati temple is atleast 500 years old, but looks as if it was built yesterday. I was surprised to see the complete absence of greed, and Pandits with real knowledge. No one to hassle you into buying stuff the Lord doesn’t need, and we don’t want. We were lucky enough to reach just in time for the Aarti, and had the fortune of seeing the Lord in all his glory. It is said, that this is the Temple of Wishes, and whatever is asked for, the Lord giveth. It has immense following, and I now know why. The beauty of the temple architecture is such that it captivates one to be there for hours on end. Heedless of time or space. It transcends one into supreme bliss. The temple is on the shore, and the first rays of the sun caress the Lord, and then bless the world. After the darshan, we had some amazing ‘cant be made at home’ tuur daal khichdi as Prasad. And served with so much love and good wishes.

Ganpatipule Temple

Ganpati Bappa!

GPule Seashore

After darshan, we loitered on the beach for some time, and headed back to the hotel to freshen up, and look for some good local places to eat. We could not find many Khanavals (Home made food eateries) so decided to go to a hotel, whose chef is very well known in that area for his cooking prowess. And boy were we impressed!! We had Chicken Malwani and Prawn Masala. My dear readers, I have never cried so much over a meal (because of the spices), and have never recollected such authentic and delightful Malwani food with so much affection as I do now. The memories still tingle my taste bud, and my eyes water! J

The Konkan Coast

After lunch, we fought a terrible urge to nap (who sleeps on a vacation!!), and headed for the beach, and some sightseeing. After much fun and frolic we came back to the hotel and crashed.

Next day we left for Ratnagiri, about 20kms from Gpule. The road that connects the two towns, is one of the most beautiful roads in the world. It runs along the coast, with a sheer 100 feet cliff drop on one side, and lush greenery on the other. Nature resides in all its glory here. Green like you have never seen before, birds that we don’t get to hear in the cities and appreciate in our busy lives. Untouched, unexploited and unspoilt.

Lady in White

We took our time to reach Ratnagiri and explored the city a bit before we checked into a hotel. We went to the Kohinoor hotel, which has an awesome location, overlooking the sea and coconut farms. What surprised us was that here too, we were treated to a plethora of all things natural. Beautiful multi colored butterflies criss crossed our paths here and there, tiny birds chirping everywhere. After hours of clicking away, we moved on.

butterfly-effect

We stayed in the Hotel Vivek, in the heart of city. We had breakfast in a local shop – Kanda poha, onion bhajji, Thalipeeth, and Idli sambar followed with piping hot ginger tea! We went Kokam shopping in the markets of Ratnagiri and came back with hand full and empty pockets. All the stuff was so so good. We picked up Kokum Juice, Thechha (local Pickle), Mango Concentrate, Kajus, and so much other stuff!

Post shopping we visited the Ratnadurg fort, which was again, overlooking the ocean, and cleansed our lungs with all the fresh air we could gather. The location of the fort makes one wonder of the ingenuity of our kings and warriors! Sea on one side, Deep, long valleys on the other that gives a good view of who is approaching and a clean complete 360 vantage point!

Our primary motivation during any holiday is food. Authentic, clean desi food. So after breakfast we were asking around for places that would serve the local delicacies. After much asking around we zeroed in on Amantran, apparently THE place for sea food. We reached at around 9 in the evening, and thankfully got seating immediately. The menu was delightfully simple, and the prices were astoundingly low! Even for a quaint town like Ratnagiri, the prices were low! A Crab Thali for Rs. 80/- only! Beat that! And fully loaded mind you! With Solcurry, Chapatis, rice and the Crab Masala. I am not a sea food fan, but from the look on my face, I gathered it was damn good!!

We had to leave the nex day, and it was raining heavily as it was. We left Ratnagiri at around 10:30 still undecided if we wanted to go to Pune (because apparently the Mumbai Goa route was closed due to heavy rains) or Mumbai. We made our decision at Chiplun. We decided to take our chances and headed towards Mumbai. On the way, we came across a dhaba. And had yummy omelets and bhurji pav! From the dhaba, we could see below into fast paddy fields and the Konkan railway track! Just when we were finishing our meal, a train crossed the fields. It was a sight we only see in movies. Not in real life!